Move over SPOTIFY Beginner FIRST TURNTABLE Blows Mind !!

In this video I am talking about my experiences of getting into Vinyl Record playing for the first time in my life even as an audiophile of over 20 years of the HiFi addiction. In the video I talk through my new turntable setup including the phono stage and record cleaning machine.

There is a lot covered in the video so I hope you enjoy it and maybe it will inspire you to do the same

Thanks to John @DarkoAudio for the recommendation

For cleaning my records I bought

For some records I have bought recently to play

Come and see me on Facebook @PursuitPerfectSystem
On Instagram @terrypursuitperfectsystem

Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:52 INGENIUM
8:08 Level Isolation
9:44 Phono Stage
11:16 Record Cleaning
14:00 Sound

#newtovinyl #playingrecords #HiFiAddiction
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[PursuitPerfectSystem]

If you would like more details and links to all the products in the video please see my video description box, also make sure you check out my factory tour video at AVID, its a great video with lots to see and learn. Hope you enjoy cheers

[mph]

Vinyl is one of those mediums that require you to *want* to work for it. You mentioned the unexpected satisfaction of simply watching the record cleaner suck up the water, well...cleaning records, watching the platter spin around, in short, appreciating the tactical/mechanical aspect of it, is one of the big reasons to get into vinyl. The sound is different...not better or worse, just different...but honestly it's the inconvenience that makes it special. I know that may sound counterintuitive, especially if you're someone who just wants to pop something on in the background and forget about it, but vinyl doesn't allow you to do that, and that has a special appeal. It's a lot like working on old cars. You don't do it for the convenience, it's a labor of love, and you have to want to labor on your love. I'll never understand people who get worked up over trying to prove which medium sounds better, as music is such a visceral experience. Listen to what you like, how you like.

[YamyHaw]

I've been into the audiophile hobby since I was 16 saving up for some HD650s. I got a basic turntable two weeks ago to try it out. I was instantly hooked and after listening to my first record I immediately went to the local record store and bought 15 used records

[neilsteadman]

Hi Terry.Ive been at this now for over 50 years..!! Into Rega products.Have an Rp8 turntable. Love it. Enjoy your journey. You will have a great time..!!

[pip]

Been a vinyl fan for 7 years and it's been a lot of fun collecting music and upgrading my gear over time.

[Benvos]

I know what you mean about digital, it can be easy to flick between tracks. I’ve recently begun actively choosing to listen to albums, by adding them to favourites and searching albums rather than tracks. I like the process of selecting an album and listening all the way through, means you can just sit back and enjoy the music rather than being distracted looking for the next song. I can understand that appeal with vinyl where you have little choice, but for now I’m still all in on streaming and CD.

[geiroddbjrnkrakholm]

Love this turntable. Have just upgraded the platter to aluminium platter, next on the list is to upgrade the tonearm and cartridge.

[johnfricano]

Welcome to the vinyl jungle! I recently got back into it after a long haitis and updated from an old Rega Planar 3 to a Rega P8 which is also a mostly plug and play turntable setup when added to a phono stage. Almost forgot how organic sounding vinyl can be. Clean records make a HUGE difference! Good luck.

[tonyjedioftheforest]

That looks like a lot of turntable for the money. The thing with vinyl is there are loads of stuff that is not available on download or CD. I use all 3 formats and I enjoy them all. That Avid cartridge looks like a re badged Audio Technica budget one which is a giant killer but maybe you could get even better performance by changing it later on for something with a better stylus profile that would get every last bit of information out of the groove. Audio Technica’s ATVM95 series are excellent and don’t cost a fortune.

[UfukDirim]

Welcome to the vinyl money pit. 😁 Two tips on the Project record cleaner. 1) You’ve said you dilute 1.1 to 1.2. InStead it should be 1 to 10 or 1 to 20 for not so dirty records. So, for 100ml of cleaner solution you get 1lt of liquid. I recommend to use deionized water. You can find it cheap at the supermarket where they sell it for ironing. 2) Instead of using the cap of the container, just get a liter of water bottle and punch a hole on its cap with a screw driver. Works like a magic. Much better controlled dispersion of the liquid and less waste. 😁

[davidbennett]

Hi Terry, Regarding disc quality - it's a bit of a lottery. Pressings can vary in quality greatly during the course of a pressing, some pressing plants seem to (generally) produce "quieter" discs (lower/no unwanted surface noise) and others might produce (generally) noisier discs.
Another somewhat common issue you might spot with modern vinyl is "dished" records, where the record has set into a slight bowl-type shape. Isn't really a big problem (unless the dish is severe), and minor warps seem to be somewhat common also. Again, with a minor warp it's not usually a big problem (unless the warping is severe).
There are 3 record flattening devices/machines out there; the most affordable being the Vinyl Flat ($140~$210, ordered from the US not incl. shipping), and a couple of more expensive Japanese machines intended for commercial application (ie record shops) - The ORB DF-01a (a little over £1, 200 in the UK) and its fancier brother the Furutech DF-2 (closing on £2, 000) - I personally intend to get the Vinyl Flat eventually (as I now have a fair few records that either have slight warps or slight dishing) but I'm putting it off for now as none of my records are unplayable.
The "sound" of a turntable is the result of all components, and therefore changing any part could have a discernible impact on the sound, but the most obvious change will come from a change of cartridge type/manufacturer. Comparing turntables is, I suspect, a minefield for a reviewer - how much of what you're hearing is down to the cartridge rather than the rest of turntable? Should you test them with their included cartridges or should you standardise by fitting the same cartridge to both? (probably both tests need to be done) And many many more related considerations. It might be an avenue you wish to explore one day or you may decide to keep vinyl listening for your personal downtime just for pleasure. I would certainly understand if you opted for the latter 😉 Most importantly... enjoy!

[mokujinsan]

Bless you mate. I've had in the past a Rega P2, Rega P3, Manticore Mantra, Linn Sondek.. then finally a beautiful Townshend Rock. I've been pro DJ since 1988. Going through 4 sets of Technics over the decades. Now I have just one Technics SL1200 MK3 Japanese only version with the nasty transformer removed and upgraded. I use this to listen to Be Bop Jazz, Raw Funk, Northern Soul, Afro beat, Dub etc. Its not as good as my old reference TT, but it's close and I guess it's the DJ in me that loves the old wheels of steel. Enjoy your journey mate. Playing records is still a treat for me I love it. Don't become a boring purist snob.

[rogerallen]

I’ve been back to records a few years now. I never play any record without washing, often this includes ultra sonic cleaning. Good to see you finally going for it

[insurrectionindustries]

I am happy for you. I have been on the vinyl journey for most of my life but I love that there is always something fun to explore and I love it along with streaming and CDs . To me it has always offered something different and special and has been the method of music playback that has engaged my kids the most. The mechanical nature of it engages a part of our brains that really creates a new and different experience. Happy Listening!

[Mr.Lahey]

Nice video brother. Hope you enjoy the table! You have started vinyl with a proper table. Keep the vids coming!

[AnotherAnonymousMan]

Congrats Terry! Absolutely beautiful system right there. Also, remember sometimes when you get pops or crackles it's just down to the record's manufacture and not lack of cleaning.

[ianpeck]

Very nice TT setup, I thought that I was the only one who is fascinated by watching the cleaner do it’s work. ☺️

[rudolfappel]

Terry, such an enjoyable video. This video will motivate others to get into vinyl. I stream, play CD’s and play vinyl, for each of these methods there is the right occasion. But vinyl is certainly the most enjoyable for all the good reasons you mentioned. I am no psychologist, but truly believe that our emotions heavily influence the we are hearing the music. Therefore naturally for for those that love seeing a turntable doing it’s work, enjoy looking at the great cover arts and information record covers provide and the fact that you listen to the entire story the album has to tell vinyl simply boosts my perception of listening experience.

[derekheeps]

As an audiophile of somewhat longer standing ; I can hark back to the days of shellac ( my mother's and my grandfather's records, and we even had an uncle with an Edison Graphaphone, which played cylinders rather than discs ! ) as well as my own 50 or so years with vinyl .At different points I had, alongside my other turntables, a Goldring GL75 with a pickup for 78rpm and a B&O turntable with variable speed up around 78 and a 78 stylus for the B&O cartridge ; I also had an HH Scott Valve amplifier with so many different EQ settings for the different record labels, but mostly it played into my Quad 33 which had the excellent Quad filter system, designed for shellac playback .

My starter turntable was a Pioneer PL12D ( mark 1 ), Then a Transcriptor Hydraulic Reference, before getting my Gyrodec, which I still have some 30 or so years on .

While I have only owned three turntables, having spent my youth working in the industry I have used and set up so very many and had them home for extended tests . Pickup arms, cartridges, power supplies, different motors, and as you alluded, placement and support can all make huge differences .

We had a good few budget turntables back in the 70s, Connoisseur BD1, AR turntable, the various Japanese belt drives ( of which the PL12D seemed the best, hence I bought one ) Gerrard 401, Thorens TD 125, Dual, the endless selection of Japanese direct drives, then the Linn LP12, Fons CQ 30 and Ariston RD11 which were similar designs ; Transcriptor then Michell Reference turntables, then they brought out the budget Focus 1 . Many of these turntables left you to choose an arm, most people bought the SME 3009 S2, others went for the Hadcock, Mayware formula 4, Regas, Grace 707 or numerous others . Because I was always trying out different cartridges, I bought an SME Series III, which came with a modular counterweight and fluid damper, making it compatible with cartridges of differing masses and compliances ... possibly the most universal of pickup arms ; also had Rabco tangential trackers and the B&O Beograd 4000 through my hands .

Cartridges ? Great budget cartridge was the Shure M75 EDII, Audio Technica also made some fine MM cartridges ( and superb MC ones too ), We sold a lot of Stanton, and in the 70s the 681EEE was up there with the Shure V15III as one of the best, also had an AKG p9ES for a while . But then I got into MC cartridges ; had a classic Linn/Grace G707 / Supex SD900E home for a while, with a Boothroyd Stuart Meridian Pre/power combo which had MC stage ... sound was too 'laid back' for my taste . My first MC was the high output Ultimo DV10E which worked very well into my then Quad 33/303 system ; later I got an Ortolan MC20 with transformer . Although I tried so many amplifiers ( Sugden, Naim, Meridian, Arcam and others ) I liked the Quad sound and eventually upgraded to the 44/405, it sounded great, with resistors in, through my ESL57s, but not so good with my IMF TLS80s which actually had worked better with the 303 ( in retrospect the better amplifier ) .

One area where I might take issue is the business of cleaning records ; my take, having a collection spanning 50 years and several thousand albums, is that prevention is better than cure . Other than in the case of a very few secondhand records which were less than pristine, I have never felt the need to clean records . I handle them carefully, use my Zerostat pistol before playing, after sweeping over once, use my Michell sweep arm to collect any incidental dust which may fall during play, and again sweep before putting away after playing ; also I always play with the lid closed over my turntable - this modern day fad of having turntables without lids just escapes me - why expose your records to 25 or more minutes of airborne dust during play ? My earliest records bought 50+ years ago have simply been handled and cared for well ; never been played on bad equipment and all are as good today as they ever were .

What you say about pops and crackles ; I noticed this decades ago - it does NOT come from the records . This is a symptom of a playback system that is less than it might be ; a pickup that is not quite tracking correctly, or static in the records . This always used to be a problem with mid range systems where tracking was not all it might be, or cartridges where secure tracking wasn't their greatest strong point . Take something like a Gerrard 401 with a SMEII and V15 or a Stanton ; these noises just don't happen ... not ever ( unless you are unlucky enough to have a damaged record ) . When setting up a pickup, I always set towards the upper end of the tracking weight range ; then there were widely available test records, like the Shure Audio Obstacle Course, or the Hi-Fi News HFN69 and HFN75 test records which had highly modulated sine waves to test for accurate tracking ; I still have mine, you could probably obtain samples of unknown quality on eBay, but unless you know them to have been used sparingly, it is a bit iffy . Incidentally, my AT-OC9 tracks superbly in my RB700 arm ; I never get clicks, pops or crackles . And I mean never . All I get is music .

For a while I was distracted into the world of AV, and bought a huge system of Japanese electronics, based around the Sony TA-E1000ESD preamp, SDP-EP9ES AC-3 decoder, 5x TA-N55ES power amplifiers ( very low source impedances, running as mono blocs they kept the IMFs tightly under control ) B&W DM2As for the rear and a home designed and constructed centre speaker using the same KEF B110 mid units and Coles/Celestion 4001/HF1300 units as both the IMF and B&Ws ; oh and besides Laserdisc, S-VHS, Hi-8 and U-Matic, I had a Sony VPH 1270QM 7" CRT projector . Later, when DVD came out I bought the sony 'reference standard' player the DVP-S7700 .

But after a while I tired of it all and went back to my roots ; sold all the AV kit but still had my Gyrodec, my numerous Revox, Uher, Nakamichi tape machines, and bought a complete Quad 77/707 system with the ESL 63s ( I had missed my ESL 57s ) and once again I had audio bliss . Gone were the two 42U racks in the corner of my living room ; in came a marks & Spencer Sonoma 3 door sideboard ( you can still buy them - a very substantial piece of furniture and more than capable of holding an audio system ) ; the spousal approval factor went through the roof ; previous stuff was merely tolerated .

I never really got into CD, or digital audio of any kind ( and pre CD I did have experience of digital recording with the Sony PCM-F1 / SL-F1 system, then the 8mm EVS 600 PCM multi audio system, but I stuck with my high speed Revox most times, or Uher 4200 Stereo Report Monitor for outdoor recording jobs .... later I got into video production, but that's another story .

So, for me, vinyl and analogue in general, has never gone away - at home I am generally found listening either to records, or to BBC R2 FM : I can't believe Quad seem no longer to make FM tuners ! FM radio, to me, remains one of the best sources available, and in particular BBC broadcasts ; I have a decent aerial on a rotator but the massive ERP from Blackhill makes all the difference BBC radio is just so good and nice to listen to, whether in the home or in the car .... forget DAB, it is rubbish .

Upgrade paths for me ? maybe an Orbe platter kit, SME V, ESL 2905 or 2912, and maybe 909 mono blocs to drive them ( I just wouldn't use anything other than Quad amplifiers to drive Quad loudspeakers, they literally were made for each other ) I really am pretty happy with what I have and as far as hi-fi is concerned spend my money on records .

[theomindschrddr]

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories. Very good recorded also. You do a very good job doing it for the first time to be in the vinyl world.